Best SBI credit card for education and school fee payments
SBI cards ranked by what they actually return on education and school fee payments — after monthly caps, excluded categories and surcharges, not by the advertised rate. CardMasters is independent of SBI.
Short answer
Across 11 SBI credit cards, 7 return anything at all on education and school fee payments; the rest cap it, exclude it or levy a surcharge. On ₹10,000 a month of that spend, IRCTC SBI Card Premier leads at about ₹80 a month (₹960 a year) against an annual fee of ₹1,499. Figures apply each card's own published caps, exclusions and surcharges rather than its headline rate, from issuer terms recorded on 2026-08-25.
Source: CardMasters issuer-evidence catalogue, release 2026-08-25. Confirm final terms with the issuer.
| # | Card | Per month | Per year | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IRCTC SBI Card Premier | ₹80 | ₹960 | ₹1,499 + GST |
| 2 | SBI Card ELITE | ₹50 | ₹600 | ₹4,999 + GST |
| 3 | BPCL SBI Card | ₹25 | ₹300 | ₹499 + GST |
| 4 | SimplyCLICK SBI Card | ₹25 | ₹300 | ₹499 + GST |
| 5 | BPCL SBI Card OCTANE | ₹25 | ₹300 | ₹1,499 + GST |
| 6 | SimplySAVE SBI Card | ₹17 | ₹200 | ₹499 + GST |
| 7 | SBI Card PRIME | ₹13 | ₹150 | ₹2,999 + GST |
Compare this against every issuer on the same category: best cards for education and school fee payments across all banks →
Frequently asked questions
Which SBI credit card is best for education and school fee payments?
IRCTC SBI Card Premier returns the most in the CardMasters model — about ₹80 a month on ₹10,000 of education and school fee payments, ahead of SBI Card ELITE and BPCL SBI Card. The order changes with your spend level because each card's monthly cap binds at a different point, and the annual fee still has to be subtracted.
Do all SBI cards earn on education and school fee payments?
No. Only 7 of 11 SBI cards tracked here return anything on this category. The others either exclude it from rewards, cap it at zero, or apply a surcharge that cancels the earn — which is why they are left out of the table rather than shown with a headline rate they do not pay here.
Should I pick a SBI card just because I bank with SBI?
Only if it wins on your actual spending. An existing relationship can help with approval and sometimes with pre-approved offers, but it does not make the card the best value. Compare this ranking against the same category across all issuers before deciding.